The voter registration deadline for the May 20 Primary Election is Tuesday, April 29. People who are not registered to vote in any Oregon county may register online at oregonvotes.gov no later than 11:59 pm April 29. The online option is available only to those with a valid Oregon driver’s license, DMV-issued identification card, or learner’s permit.

Other registration options are to submit a voter registration form to the Elections Office by 4 pm April 29, or mail a voter registration card to the Elections Office with a postmark no later than April 29.

New voters who will turn 18 on or before the May 20 Election Day may register by the April 29 deadline and receive a ballot, even if they are still 17 on the deadline date.

Lane County Elections is located at 275 W.10th Ave. in downtown Eugene. Public office hours are 9 am to noon, and 1 to 4 pm Monday through Friday. On Election Day the office will be open from 7 am to 8 pm.

The world of social media has noticed that not only does Lane County inspect local restaurants, it posts them online in a searchable database. For those of you who haven't had the scores posted and reposted on Facebook, Twitter and the like, you can find them here.

To make it easier, the restaurants that received failing scores — below 70 — and need to be inspected again in 30 days are highlighted in red. You can search by city, score and/or restaurant name.

As of today, of Eugene's 563 restaurants listed only five earned the red highlights.

Springfield showed 196 restaurants and none with a score of 69 or less — that includes strip clubs that serve food, like Sweet Illusions, for those of you who wonder about such things.

Is Portland powered by Canadian corpses? The Associated Press is reporting that "The Marion County Board of Commissioners in Salem has ordered an incinerator to stop accepting boxed medical waste to generate electricity after learning the waste it’s been burning may include tissue from aborted fetuses from British Columbia."

It sounds like the issue for the commission is that there might be some tissue from fetuses in the sealed boxes that are being sent to Salem from British Columbia.

Right, squeamish commissioners, never mind the other leftover body parts that have apparently been generating power in Oregon: "Kristy Anderson, a British Columbia Health Ministry spokeswoman, told The Associated Press that regional health authorities there have a contract with a company that sends biomedical waste, such as fetal tissue, cancerous tissue and amputated limbs, to Oregon, where it’s incinerated in the waste-energy plant."

The AP story continues:

"The facility is owned and operated by Covanta in a partnership with Marion County. According to its website, it processes 550 tons per day of municipal solid waste, generating up to 13 megawatts of energy sold to Portland General Electric.

Marion County estimates that the facility processes about 700 tons of in-county medical waste each year and about 1,200 tons from elsewhere, making it a small percentage of the total waste burned. Out-of-town medical waste is charged a higher fee."

I feel like this could be taken to a whole new level. Why get cremated or have a green burial when you could send your body to Marion County and become electricity instead? I see a whole new renewable energy industry in Oregon out of this, if we can just make sure all those burning bodies and body parts don't affect our clean air. I can see the slogans now: "When your lights go out, ours go on!"

As the Schoolhouse Rock song goes, "Where do you think it all comes from? Electricity, electricity."

Got a favorite soup recipe? Share it with others Sunday, April 27, at the Soup Invitational, an amateur soup cook-off in which all of the proceeds benefit Oregon United For Marriage. More details at wkly.ws/1qe.

Millennials often get a bad rap, from accusations of narcissism to claims that Generation Y is nothing but a collection of technology-addicted moochers. Two Eugene high school students subverted those stereotypes this month by winning Greenfield Peace Writing Scholarship awards for their commentary on how young people can make a difference. The peace writing contest, sponsored by Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, inspired Oregon high school students to think about their impact on the future by answering the question, “What can young people do to create a more healthy, just and peaceful world?”

Sashka Warner, a 17-year-old senior at South Eugene High School, won first place for his impeccably researched essay, “Be the Change You Wish to See.” In his essay, Warner uses specific examples of ways in which young people have made a difference, describing how eighth grader Alec Loorz launched the Sea Level Awareness Project and installed tall poles in coastal areas to show the eventual impact of sea level rise.

“By taking similar large-scale youth-dominated actions,” Warner writes, “and perhaps combining with other activists across the globe, young people can take definitive action to make the world a better place.”

Warner says it can be overwhelming to think about the environmental and social turmoil in the world, but as he learns more about solutions to counteract the damage, he feels hopeful and finds ways to connect with other youth who care about the same issues. “It’s really important to remember that everyone can make a difference,” he says.

Warner says he will use his $1,000 scholarship money toward pursuing a degree next school year at the University of British Columbia, where he plans to study issues related to sustainability and natural resources conservation.

The third place prize went to 17-year-old Thomas Meinzen, a junior at North Eugene High School (NEHS). His poem likens the current state of the world to a battlefield, with a growing tree representing young people and their ability to initiate change. “But there is hope,” he writes. “A light that refuses to cease/ A new generation dawns/ on the possibility of peace.”

Meinzen says that he chose to write a poem for the contest because he was worried about going over the word limit, and he thought the schematics of a poem would help him condense his thoughts. He says the tree analogy resonates with him partly due to the natural beauty of Eugene. “For me, a connection with nature is a really important part of my life. We’re lucky in Eugene to have lots of trees, and it’s amazing especially during this time of year that something so dead can spring with such life.”

Meinzen helped start an ecology club at NEHS, where he and around 30 other students clean up trash, grow food in the school garden and talk about how to make NEHS more sustainable. “Focus small,” he says. “If you try and solve everything at once you’ll get overwhelmed, but make sure you do something every day, and it’s a good starting point as people grow up to become more involved in the bigger picture.”

The scholarship awards ceremony will take place 6:30-8pm Friday, April 25, at the Billy Frank Conference Center, 721 N.W. 9th Ave., in Portland. Click here to read the winning entries.

Judge Michael McShane has denied the attempt by the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) to delay arguments in the federal case against the ban on gay marriage in Oregon. McShane will hear arguments as scheduled at 1 pm Wednesday, April 23, at the U.S. Courthouse in Eugene.

McShane is not expected to rule on the legality of Oregon's ban on same-sex marriage until at least May 14. He will also consider NOM's motion to intervene in the case and will hear oral arguments on that issue May 14.

Meanwhile, vigils supporting marriage equality are being planned throughout Oregon. Eugene's will be from 5:30 to 6:30 this evening at the U.S. Courthouse. The vigil is likely to continue at the Courthouse tomorrow.

Fourth year dental student Julia Allen from Arizona University of Oral Medicine in Tempe Arizona was surprised to find her rental apartment burglarized over the weekend. “I opened the door and everything was taken out of the drawers and closets and thrown all over.” Allen works as a volunteer at White Bird Dental Clinic providing dental treatment to low income patients and had gone on a day trip to the Oregon Coast.

The apartment is provided by White Bird Dental for the students during their rotations of public health dental clinics. The program allows White Bird to see patients at a reduced cost and allows the students to explore a city for a possible future dental practice.

Clinic manager Kim Freuen says the biggest loss was Allen’s dental loupes. The loupes are headbands with magnifying lenses and lighting, custom fit to each person and cost $4,000. She will be taking the test for her dental license soon. Part of the test is proficiency of working on patients which will be difficult without the dental loops.

White Bird is asking the public to help find the dental loupes. If you have any information please call White Bird Dental at 344-8302.

Silver Lining Production House has announced its first major client: Nancy's Yogurt. We reported on the opening of the production house in March ("Silver Lining Playbook") when it was too early for Silver Lining to announce its clients publicly. SL has designed and produced Earth Day tote bags for Nancy’s Yogurt, who posted the following on its Facebook page today:

Enter Nancy’s Yogurt Earth Day Giveaway! Five lucky Nancy’s fans will be selected EACH DAY this week to win a FREE limited-edition Nancy’s tote, made from fabric banners previously used for trade shows and events – now with a second life! These beautiful totes are created with the help of the talented folks at Silver Lining Productions.

Oregon’s Last Comedian Standing finals are tonight at Kowloon Restaurant & Lounge, 2222 MLK Blvd. near Autzen Stadium. Schmoozing begins at 7 with showtime at 8. Entry is $5 to $10 at the door. One hundred contestants from around the state are down to six tonight: Juan Knuston, Jake Woodmansee, Chris Green, Will Gibbions, Scoot Heering and Andy Schanz. Cash and prizes are valued at $10,000.

UO law prof Rob Illig got a little hot under the collar the other day and his series of emails went viral. As The Oregonian puts it, it's not "cute-puppy viral" either. UO econ prof Bill Harbaugh called attention to rants (and lists the sites that have picked up the story) the on his UO Matters blog.

According to the Oregon Law Blawg, in its response to the brouhaha, the issue was a proposal that a group of law faculty came up with — " to divert the law school’s portion of the faculty merit pay funds to a post-graduate fellowship program for new law grads, in lieu of accepting a pay increase."

In other words, because it is hard for law students to get a job after they graduate, the faculty wanted to help them out. According the website Above the Law, which calls itself "a behind the scenes look at the world of law," only 57 percent of 2013 law school graduates are "employed in full-time, long-term jobs that require bar passage."

Illig's posts about the proposal made at a meeting that he did not attend contain gems like "Is this some kind of faculty version of white-man's guilt?"

He writes, "As I learn more of the details of Friday’s proposal, I am even more perplexed by its logic and frightened by its poison," and continues:

"Voting on this important a decision without notice and without serious consideration was a gross breach not only of procedure but of TRUST.

What did the agenda say? “Discussion of Graduate Fellowships.” Pardon my French, but this is absolute bullshit. Colleagues do not ambush one another like this.

How can I trust the administration or any of my faculty colleagues? No wonder we’ve become a third-tier law school. Who’s going to want to come here to study or teach in this kind of poisonous atmosphere?"

"While we agree that it may be unfair for the school to cancel professors’ raises, this is the kind of educational crisis that requires everyone involved to give a little bit more, lest they find themselves on the receiving end of a faculty buyout offer or, worse yet, a layoff. It’s not like this hasn’t happened at many law schools already. Unfortunately, like the honey badger, Professor Illig doesn’t seem to give a s**t."

In the end, the faculty plan, Illig's viral rant notwithstanding, got shot down, according to the post by Jen Reynolds on the Oregon Law Blawg:

"Last Friday, this group brought this idea as a resolution (included below) to the regularly scheduled faculty meeting. A wide majority of those present voted to approve the resolution—in addition, a majority of the full faculty support the resolution.

We brought the matter to the Provost and although he is supportive of our goals he cannot bend the University rules to make this creative idea happen. However, we remain committed to finding ways to fund post-graduate opportunities and address other employment issues facing our graduates."

Want a chance to discuss public education in Oregon with longtime education advocate Art Pearl? Check out “Who Calls the Shots in Public Education?”, an April 23 meeting featuring Pearl and a group of fifth graders from Edison Elementary School voicing their thoughts on democracy and the Bill of Rights as pertaining to public education.

Last year, the Reclaiming and Renewing Our Public Education Community Dialogues hit the scene with a talk fromNancy Golden, Oregon's chief education officer, and a series of collaborative conversations between students, teachers, parents and other interested community members. The upcoming meeting is the third in the series, following last November's group discussion led by a teacher from Seattle who took issue with standardized testing in Washington state.

These community dialogues seek to address public education issues in a unique way, featuring guest speakers but also allowing time for audience participation and round table discussions. The way we think about public education needs to change, and finding ways to allow everyone to contribute to the conversation is a good first step.

“Who Calls the Shots in Public Education?” starts 6:30 pm Wednesday, April 23, at South Eugene High School, 400 E. 19th Ave. The event is free and open to the public. Check out its Facebook page here.

Tonight is the last night for the Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts (DIVA) at its 280 W. Broadway space downtown and they want you to come party with them for their "Marker Monday" fundraiser; $5 suggested donation at the door. From 6 to 8pm, DJ Chris Long will spin tunes and Blue Dog Mead refreshments will be available. DIVA's press release says a "free Copic marker to first 120 guests - tag and draw on our gallery walls." So skip happy hour and head to DIVA and support your local arts. DIVA is currently looking for a new space downtown.

Anybody planning a trip up to Portland next week (or later this spring) should check out OMSI's lineup of food science events:

Cook for Life

Tuesday, April 15, 6 - 8 p.m.

In partnership with OMSI, Portland Monthly presents Cook for Life, a seasonal cooking series focused on healthy solutions, presented by Regence. This month will focus on Cooking with Kids. Enjoy a small-plate, three-course meal with cooking demonstrations by Chef Tse of Regence and nutritional information from Dr. Julie Briley of the National College of Natural Medicine. Kids are welcome with an adult. https://www.omsi.edu/events/cook-for-life/041514

Cost: 10 and under $18; 10+ $28

Food Luminary

OMSI and Bon Appetit have partnered with local chefs to create a delectable dinner series of science and cuisine. Each dinner will begin with a food science demonstration by OMSI's Food Science Educator while enjoying wine and hors d'oeuvres. After a presentation by the featured chefs, the restaurant will serve a four-course meal created in collaboration with Bon Appetit Executive Chef Ryan Morgan. The guest chefs will also be answering questions and mingling during the dinner. Food Luminary events are for guests 21+ years only.

In celebration of Earth Week, OMSI and Bon Appetit Management Company will turn Theory into a fun culinary classroom offering ways that guests can minimize their carbon "foodprint" through tasty alternatives to beef and dairy. Through educational demos by OMSI and the makeover of popular dishes by Executive Chef Ryan Morgan, guests will learn that they don't have to go entirely meatless to make their diet a climate-friendlier one.

Blind-Tasting Bingo

Thursday, April 24, 6 - 9 p.m.

In partnership with Ecotrust and Edible Portland, OMSI will host Blind-Tasting Bingo, a game of sensory deprivation and heightened exploration. In this quarterly program, each night will feature 10 small plates prepared by Bon Appetit Executive Chef Ryan Morgan. With their eyes covered, the players/guests will try to identify what they taste on a bingo board that includes both correct and false answers. A few lucky winners will receive a prize!